Circuit-breaker.



G. W. GERLACH.

CLRCUIT BREAKER.

APPLl CATl0N man nc .a|. 1911.

Patented Mar. 18,1919.

tmrrED stra'rns PA NT OFFICE.

GEORGE W. GER LACH, OF'CUMBERLAND, IOWA.

CIRCUIT-BREAKER. g

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 18, 13 9.

Original application filed May 26, 1917. Serial No. 171.217. Divided and this application filed December 31,

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that l, (hconcn \V. Gunmen,

a citizen of the lnited States. residing at Cumberland, in the countymfi Laps and State of Iowa, ha ve invented certain new" and useful improvements in (ireuit-lireakers. of which the following is a spceitieatiim. o

This invention relates to an improved track obstacle operated 'eireuit breaker. being a division of my pending application for lOt'O- motive equipmentt'or block signal systems, tiled .\la v 2(3 1917. Serial No. 171.217.

The invention has'as its primary ohjeet to provide a circuit breaker adapted to normally close a circuit with an electrically controlled hrake valve actuating mechanism so that when the circuit breaker is engaged by a tradk obstacle. the circuit will he opened to cause actuation oi the said mechanism for moving the brake valve to service position.

The invention has as a l'urther object to provide a circuit, breaker adapted to he operated hva track obstacle regardless of the.

a direction in which the train is moving.

.\nd a slill further object of the invention is to provide a ('ll't'llli breaker having the contacts thereof so arranged that loss ol'anv ol' the movahle parts or breaking of any such parts will cause an opening of the ireuit controlled by the device.

)lher and in idental objects will appear as the description proceeds. in the drawings wherein l have illu trated the preferred emhmliment of the invention. and wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the. several views:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a portion of aeonventional type at locomotive and illustrating the manner in whieh my improvcd'ic reuit breaker is mount.- ed thereon,

Fig. 2 is an ele ationshowing the circuit b aker in connection. with the brake valve of the locomotive. the wiring system being shown diagrammatically, and

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional View of the circuit breaker. m v

Referring more particularly to the drawings, I have shown my improved circuit breaker in connection with a conventional type of locomotive lhaving a break valve 11. This valve is equipped with a, lever 12 movable to released position in engagement with a. stop 13 and to emergency position in engagemcnt with a stop 14. In connection Serial No. 209,668.

with this valve I employ a. valve operating mechanism including an electric motor 17 of approved type. This motor is provided with an armature shaft 18 arranged in axial alinement with the stem of the valve and provided at its upper end with a laterally hrectc'd arm-l U f onnected to the lower end ot ahe armature shaft is airadially extending arm 20 formed at its outer extremity with a downwardly directed terminal ll adapted to engage the valve lever 12. The

motor is so arranged that whetienergiZcd it will turn the shaftto swing the arm 20 toward the stop 13. ient part of the. locomotive cab is a bracket 22- to one extremity of which is pivoted a hell crank 23. (meat-1n of which carries a weight 24 while the other arm of the said hell crank is normally engaged beneath the arm 19 ot' the motor shaft 18. These parts are so arranged that when the motor is energiZed and the lever arm 20 is held in engagelnent with the. stop 13. the arm- 19 of the motor shaft will hold the hell crank lever in position with the weight A elevated. llowm'er. upon the dei nergization of the motor. the weight will fall and act' through the arm 1 to rotatethe motor shaft for swinging the-lever arm 20 which. in

turn. will swing the valve lever 12 to service 1 position. 7 At this time the weighted arm of the hell crank lever will have reached vertieal position and further movement of the valve lever will not occur. However, the engineer may move the valve lever on to emergencyposition. it deemed advisable. I

The improved circuit breaker is supported by a suitable bracket '25 preferably upon the lot-on'iotive pilot but may be attached to the bmnper timber of the locomotive or other suitable part thereof. A substantially cylindrieal casing 26 including a removable face plate 27'is employed. A bracket 28 is fixed within the casing and is formed with an inwardly projecting radial arm 2 to the outer extremity of which is pivoted one end of a relatively strong but resilient cont-act, blade 30 projecting at its free extremity through a suitable slot 31 formedin the peripheral wall of the casing. The blade 3' is, as particularly-shown in Fig. 2' of the (onnected to any conveni .io

immediately outside' of the casing are oppositely directed arcuateguard plates 32 which {overlie theslot 31 in position of the blade 1 rain, snow," or other the normal or central thecasing n Secured to opposite sides of'the bracket28 are'reversely bowed resilient contact'imem- 33 and 34 which, at their free ends, e

gage against'opposite sides of the contact b ad B These spring contacts are insuiY the bracketas shown at 35 and one of the screws 36 by which they fyjarej fastened to the bracket is, in each instance, so arranged as, to serve as an ad ust- .1ng means for governing the pressure which the-respective contacts will exert against the switch blade. As particularly illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the spring contacts are of somewhat difi'erent lengths in order that'they may not engage directly opposite portions of the switch blade and each of the said contacts carr es an adjustable stop screw wall of the casing and permitting the other one to spring in, the stop screw of the latter contact will engage its stop stud and prevent such contact from springing on into engagement with the switch blade. Because of this swinging of the switch blade in either direction, the said blade will act to open a circuit betweenthe spring contacts 34. and

. Binding posts 39 are in electrical connec 35, which circuit is normally closed by the switch blade.

tion with the spring cont-acts 33-and 34 and f receive wires 40 and 41, one of which leads "to one of the binding posts of the. motor 17 and the other of which leads to asuitable source of electrical energy such as, a battery 42. Connecting'the battery with" the other binding post 0 the motor is a wire 43. It will, therefore, "be clear that' as long as the circuit breaker is in closed or normal position, as shown in full lines in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the motor 17 will be energized and the brake valve will be in released po--* sition, although it may be at anytime moved to service or emergency position'by the engineer. As soon, however, as the switch blade is swung to one side or the other through the engagement therewith of a track obstacle, the circuit through the motor will be broken and the Weighted bell crank lever nd serve to keep dirt, 4 foreign matter out otplace and will, there.

is claimed as new will turn the armature shaft tomove the valve lever to service position; Any approved track obstacle may be employed in connection with the circuit breaker. However, the circuit breaker of the present inventionis particularly adapted for operation through-engagement with a. track obstacle of a type similar to that disclosed in a patent granted to me January 9, 1917, and numbered 1,211,697,- i

Attention is now directed to the fact that should either of the spring contacts 33 or 34 become broken, the circuit through the motor'17 would be opened when the lever of the brake valve would be immediately moved to serviceposition. In like manner, should either of the said contacts become loosened to fall "away from the bracket 28, a similar resultwould follow. Furthermore, a like result would, as previously intimated, ensue should the blade 30 fall from place. In this connection the device is mounted upon the locomotive pilot, the contact 33 will be at the rear side of the blade. Therefore, when the locomotive is moved in a forward direction and the blade is engaged .bya track obstacle, the

greatest stress. tending to break the blade it will be noted that when will occur at the free end of the said contact.

Consequently,-slrould the impact of the track obstacle against the blade be sufficient to at tually' breakthe blade, the said blade will. under ordinary conditions -break at a point I opposite'the free end of the contact 33 when the broken or outer extremity of the blade will fall away to break the circuit between the said contact and the contact 34. A fur-.

vther advantage is thus gained in offsetting the free ends of the contacts with respect to each other since it will be seen that by mountingthe' circuit breaker with the shorter contact at the rear of the blade 30, the said blade will not be likely to snap such as would not result in the breaking of the circuit between the contacts. Since a locomotive is seldom run in a backward direction and then only at a relatively low speed, breaking of the blade 30 when'the locomotive is so run backwardly will not occur. Y

It will, therefore, be seen that I-have provided a particularly simple and eflicient form of circuit breaker for the purpose set forth and a device wherein the development of mechanical trouble within the circuit breaker will cause immediate opening of the brake valve to effect the application of the brakes to-thetrain.

Having thus described the invention,what

1s: 1. circuit b'rea'ker including a pair of resilient contacts having opposed free ends constantly urged toward each other, and aswitch blade pivoted for swinging movement in a plane with the free ends of said conoii at a point menace tests and iiormally enga ed thereby to court plete a circuit between t. e contacts.

2. A trip 0 erated circuit breaker includ ing a pair 0 rdtilient contacts having opposed free ends constantly urged toward each other, a switch blade pivoted for swinging movement in a plane with the free ends of said contacts and normally engaged thereby to complete a circuit between the contacts, and means for limiting the movement of the free ends of the contacts toward each other. I v

3. A trip opera ed circuit breaker including a pair of resilient contacts having opposed free ends constantly urged toward each other, a switch blade pivoted for swinging movement in a plane with the free ends of said contacts and normally engaged thereby to complete a circuit between the contacts, and means for limiting the movement of the free ends of the contacts toward each other, the free ends of the contacts being out of alinement with each other. I 4. A trip operated circuit breaker including a pair of resilient contacts having opposed free ends constantly urged toward each other, and a switch blade pivoted for swinging movement in aplane with the free ends of said contacts and normally engaged at spaced points by the ends thereof to coin plete circuit between the contacts, the contact engaging the blade nearest its pivot point being disposed at the side of the blade opposite to that normally engaged by a trip.

5. A circuit breaker including a pair of resilient contacts having opposed free ends constantly urged toward each other, means for tensioning the sa d contacts, and a switch blade pivoted for swinging movement in'a plane with the free ends of said contacts having a s contacts, and guard members 8. A circuit breaker including a pivot-ed switch blade, and opposed resilient contacts mounted to coiiperate with the blade and having the blade normally closing a circuit therebetween, the blade being movable forselectively flexing either of said contacts to break a circuit between said contacts.

9., A circuit breakerincluding a pivoted switch blade, and opposed resilient contacts engaging opposite sides of the blade in a plane therewith and acting to normally hold the blade centered closing acircuit between.

the contacts.

10. A circuit breaker including a housing.

at formed therethrough, a switch blade pivo "ed within the. housingand projectingthrough said slot, opposed resilient contacts within the housing and cooperating with the blade in the plane of its pivotal movement, the said contacts acting toyieldably return the blade when pivoted to centered position closing a circuit between the blade to normally overliesaid the housing for rotecting thfi contacts.

In testimony w osonen w. GERLAC s carried by the; i slot and close I erect I ailix m signature. I 

